]]>The Great Christmas Carol Challenge<p></p><p></p><p>This week we pit musical legends against upstarts and imitators.</p><p>You be the judge and jury…</p><p>Let’s start with the best selling single of all time, Christmas or not…50 million copies of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” have been sold. Here’s the crooner singing "White Christmas":</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gW2UH14pug" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSUT8Inl14</a></p><p>Crosby was dismissive of his role in the song's success, saying later that "a jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully."</p><p>Lady Gaga couldn’t resist the challenge. Here’s her “White Christmas”:</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0nyU3P_kg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0nyU3P_kg</a></p><p>One of the most loved seasonal songs is this chestnut (sorry) from Nat King Cole, “The Christmas Song”: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjqU76PU8Y">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjqU76PU8Y</a></p><p>Who but a teenage upstart would dare to challenge the supremacy of Nat Cole? Why none other but young human Justin Bieber: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlvFgf1LKY0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EqEP6oyy2w</a></p><p>To hear more shocking audio, listen to the episode. We pit Burl Ives against Michael Buble, The Harry Simeone Chorale against The 3 Tenors, and Frank Sinatra against Frankie Valli. No contest!</p>Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:31:00 -0500http://www.kplu.org/post/great-christmas-carol-challenge
http://www.kplu.org/post/great-christmas-carol-challenge<p></p><p></p><p>This week we pit musical legends against upstarts and imitators.</p><p>You be the judge and jury…</p><p>Let’s start with the best selling single of all time, Christmas or not…50 million copies of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” have been sold. Here’s the crooner singing "White Christmas":</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gW2UH14pug" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSUT8Inl14</a></p><p>Crosby was dismissive of his role in the song's success, saying later that "a jackdaw with a cleft palate could have sung it successfully."</p><p>Lady Gaga couldn’t resist the challenge. Here’s her “White Christmas”:</p><p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0nyU3P_kg">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0nyU3P_kg</a></p><p>One of the most loved seasonal songs is this chestnut (sorry) from Nat King Cole, “The Christmas Song”: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjqU76PU8Y">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbjqU76PU8Y</a></p><p>Who but a teenage upstart would dare to challenge the supremacy of Nat Cole? Why none other but young human Justin Bieber: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlvFgf1LKY0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EqEP6oyy2w</a></p><p>To hear more shocking audio, listen to the episode. We pit Burl Ives against Michael Buble, The Harry Simeone Chorale against The 3 Tenors, and Frank Sinatra against Frankie Valli. No contest!</p>219no

This week we pit musical legends against upstarts and imitators.

You be the judge and jury…

Let’s start with the best selling single of all time, Christmas or not…50 million copies of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” have been sold. Here’s the crooner singing "White Christmas":

]]>Nordstrom sales and profit climb, but earnings miss analyst estimates<p>Nordstrom says profit and sales climbed in the most recent quarter, although earnings came in just below what analysts predicted.</p><p>Nordstrom says men’s shoes, men’s apparel and kids’ clothes did especially well. Morningstar analyst Paul Swinand says the company’s also doing well online. He says brick-and-mortar retailers like Nordstrom may have been late to the game but they’re reaping the benefits of e-commerce.</p><blockquote><p>"Customers, especially in apparel, footwear and accessories, they often want to try things on, but they really value having a deeper assortment, a deeper level of choice," Swinand said. "So they value having the online and the bricks-and-mortar together and that's been important for department stores."</p></blockquote><p>Swinand says he expects Nordstrom to also benefit from a policy of waiting till after Thanksgiving to put up most of its Christmas decorations. He says that allows the few weeks before Christmas to retain their holiday magic and maybe induce more customers to pay full price.</p>Fri, 09 Nov 2012 10:54:53 -0500http://www.kplu.org/post/nordstrom-sales-and-profit-climb-earnings-miss-analyst-estimates
http://www.kplu.org/post/nordstrom-sales-and-profit-climb-earnings-miss-analyst-estimates<p>Nordstrom says profit and sales climbed in the most recent quarter, although earnings came in just below what analysts predicted.</p><p>Nordstrom says men’s shoes, men’s apparel and kids’ clothes did especially well. Morningstar analyst Paul Swinand says the company’s also doing well online. He says brick-and-mortar retailers like Nordstrom may have been late to the game but they’re reaping the benefits of e-commerce.</p><blockquote><p>"Customers, especially in apparel, footwear and accessories, they often want to try things on, but they really value having a deeper assortment, a deeper level of choice," Swinand said. "So they value having the online and the bricks-and-mortar together and that's been important for department stores."</p></blockquote><p>Swinand says he expects Nordstrom to also benefit from a policy of waiting till after Thanksgiving to put up most of its Christmas decorations. He says that allows the few weeks before Christmas to retain their holiday magic and maybe induce more customers to pay full price.</p>48no

Nordstrom says profit and sales climbed in the most recent quarter, although earnings came in just below what analysts predicted.

Nordstrom says men’s shoes, men’s apparel and kids’ clothes did especially well. Morningstar analyst Paul Swinand says the company’s also doing well online. He says brick-and-mortar retailers like Nordstrom may have been late to the game but they’re reaping the benefits of e-commerce.

"Customers, especially in apparel, footwear and accessories, they often want to try things on, but they really value having a deeper assortment, a deeper level of choice," Swinand said. "So they value having the online and the bricks-and-mortar together and that's been important for department stores."

Swinand says he expects Nordstrom to also benefit from a policy of waiting till after Thanksgiving to put up most of its Christmas decorations. He says that allows the few weeks before Christmas to retain their holiday magic and maybe induce more customers to pay full price.

]]>The infamous 'Christmas Carol Bloodbath' of ... 2011<p>This week we pit musical legends against upstarts and imitators, in a duel to the death. You be the judge and jury.Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:29:43 -0500http://www.kplu.org/post/infamous-christmas-carol-bloodbath-2011
http://www.kplu.org/post/infamous-christmas-carol-bloodbath-2011<p>This week we pit musical legends against upstarts and imitators, in a duel to the death. You be the judge and jury.0no

This week we pit musical legends against upstarts and imitators, in a duel to the death. You be the judge and jury.